JP6033150B2 - Image recording apparatus and image recording method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and an image recording method, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus and an image recording method for recording an image with a photocurable ink.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses an ink jet printer using an ultraviolet curable ink. This ink jet printer is provided with a shutter that isolates the ultraviolet lamp from the recording paper when an abnormal situation such as a paper jam occurs. With this configuration, damage to the recording paper due to heat from the ultraviolet lamp is suppressed by the shutter without stopping the ultraviolet lamp.

  Patent Document 2 below discloses an ink jet recording apparatus using an ultraviolet curable ink. In this ink jet recording apparatus, when a jam or the like occurs in the recording medium, the stop of conveyance of the recording medium is detected, and the exposure by the ultraviolet light source is stopped based on the detection result.

JP 2011-156775 A JP 2012-35574 A

  In the ink jet printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, although a shutter is provided, heat from the ultraviolet lamp is transmitted to the recording paper through the shutter. For this reason, if the recovery time from an abnormal situation becomes long, there is a concern that the recording paper is damaged by heat. On the other hand, in the ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the exposure by the ultraviolet light source is stopped. Once the power supply to the ultraviolet light source is interrupted, it takes time to obtain an irradiation amount necessary for exposure even if power is supplied again. For this reason, there is a concern that the jam recovery time will be long.

  In consideration of the above-described facts, the present invention provides an image recording apparatus and an image recording method capable of effectively suppressing or preventing damage to a recording medium due to conveyance failure and reducing the recovery time from conveyance failure. Is the purpose.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention records an image by transporting a recording medium and discharging photocurable ink onto the recording medium transported by the transporting means. An ink discharger for fixing the photocurable ink by irradiating the photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium with light and curing the photocurable ink, and a light irradiation unit. Irradiation shielding switching means that can switch between irradiation and shielding of light from the light source, and when conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing means, conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance means is stopped, and light irradiation at the light irradiation unit the stops, when the conveyance failure in other ink fixing unit occurs, stops the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying means, and control means for shielding the irradiation of light from the light irradiation unit by the irradiation shielding switching means It is equipped with a.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment, the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying means, and the photocurable ink is ejected onto the recording medium by the ink ejecting means to record an image. The recording medium is conveyed to an ink fixing unit, and the photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium is cured by light irradiated from the light irradiation unit and dried.

Here, the image recording apparatus is provided with a control unit, and the light irradiation unit of the ink fixing unit is controlled by the control unit. In the control unit, when a conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped. For this reason, expansion of damage to the recording medium is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping conveyance of the recording medium, and damage to the recording medium due to light irradiation is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping light irradiation. Further, the control unit stops conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit when a conveyance failure occurs other than the ink fixing unit, and reduces the light irradiation amount of the light irradiation unit. For this reason, the expansion of damage to the recording medium is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium, and also the irradiation amount is reduced without stopping the light irradiation at the light irradiation unit, so that the conveyance failure The time until returning to the light irradiation amount at the operational level after returning from is reduced.
In the image recording apparatus, irradiation shielding switching means is provided. This irradiation shielding switching means shields light irradiation from the light irradiation section when a conveyance failure occurs in a place other than the ink fixing means. Here, although the light irradiation amount is reduced in the light irradiation part, the light irradiation part is further shielded by the irradiation shielding switching means, so that the unnecessary heating of the light irradiation part is effectively suppressed and prevented. The In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

In the image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, whether or not the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment is in a light shielding state by the irradiation shielding switching means when a conveyance failure occurs other than in the ink fixing means. Is detected, and when it is detected that the light is not in a shielding state, an irradiation stop means for stopping light irradiation from the light irradiation unit is provided.

According to the image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment, the irradiation stopping means is provided. The irradiation stop means detects whether or not the light is blocked by the irradiation shielding switching means, and stops light irradiation from the light irradiation unit when it is detected that the light is not in a shielding state. For this reason, even if there is a problem with the irradiation shielding switching means and the light irradiation is not shielded, the light irradiation from the light irradiation unit is stopped, so that the heating of the light irradiation unit is more effective than necessary. Is suppressed and prevented. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

An image recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium, an ink ejecting unit that records an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit, and a recording When the photocurable ink ejected on the medium is irradiated with light to cure the photocurable ink, and the ink fixing unit fixes the photocurable ink, and when the conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit In addition, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped, the light irradiation at the light irradiation unit is stopped, and when conveyance failure occurs other than the ink fixing unit, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped, Control means for reducing the light irradiation amount from the light irradiation unit and further reducing the light irradiation amount after a predetermined time has elapsed .

In the image recording apparatus according to the third embodiment, in addition to the action obtained by the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment, when a conveyance failure occurs other than the ink fixing unit, the amount of light irradiation is controlled by the control unit. After a certain amount of time has elapsed, the amount of light irradiation is further reduced. For this reason, the heating more than the necessity of a light irradiation part is suppressed and prevented effectively. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

An image recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a conveyance unit that conveys a recording medium, an ink ejection unit that records an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, and a recording When the photocurable ink ejected on the medium is irradiated with light to cure the photocurable ink, and the ink fixing unit fixes the photocurable ink, and when the conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit In addition, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped, the light irradiation at the light irradiation unit is stopped, and when conveyance failure occurs other than the ink fixing unit, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped, Control means for reducing the amount of light emitted from the light irradiating unit and stopping the light irradiation after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In the image recording apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the action obtained by the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment , when a conveyance failure occurs other than the ink fixing unit, the amount of light irradiation is controlled by the control unit. The light irradiation is stopped after a lapse of a certain time after being decreased . For this reason, damage to the recording medium due to light is effectively suppressed or prevented in the light irradiation unit.

An image recording apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium, an ink ejecting unit that records an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit, and a recording A light irradiating unit configured to irradiate the light curable ink ejected onto the medium to cure the light curable ink; and an ink fixing unit configured to fix the photo curable ink; and a control unit. When the conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation at the light irradiation unit is stopped. It is detected whether or not a recording medium exists in the fixing unit. When the recording medium is present, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying unit is stopped and the light irradiation by the light irradiation unit is stopped, and the recording medium is present. Shina If, it stops the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying means, reducing the amount of light irradiation by the light irradiation unit.

In the image recording apparatus according to the fifth embodiment, in addition to the action obtained by the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment, a recording medium exists in the ink fixing unit when a conveyance failure occurs in a place other than the ink fixing unit. It is detected by the control means. For example, when the image recording apparatus sequentially records images on a plurality of recording media, there is a recording medium in which there is no conveyance failure in the ink fixing unit even if conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing unit. There is. Therefore, in the control unit, when the presence of the recording medium is detected, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped. Further, in the control unit, when the presence of the recording medium is not detected, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation amount in the light irradiation unit is reduced. Therefore, in the image recording apparatus, even when images are continuously recorded on a plurality of recording media, the same effects as those obtained by the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

  The image recording apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention is the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the recording medium is conveyed on the conveyance path of the conveyance means in the light irradiating unit and recorded on the conveyance path. An adsorbing means for adsorbing the medium is provided.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the sixth embodiment, suction means is provided. The adsorption unit adsorbs the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance path of the conveyance unit in the light irradiation unit to the conveyance path. For this reason, it is difficult for the recording medium to float or bend in the conveyance path, and a separation distance between the light irradiation unit and the recording medium is ensured, so that damage to the recording medium due to light is effectively suppressed or prevented in the light irradiation unit. Is done.

  An image recording apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention is the image recording apparatus according to any of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein the ink fixing means includes a drying processing unit provided on the upstream side of the conveying means and a downstream side. And a light irradiator provided in the.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the seventh embodiment, the ink fixing unit includes a drying processing unit and a light irradiation unit. The drying processing unit is provided on the upstream side of the conveying unit, and the light irradiation unit is provided on the downstream side of the conveying unit. If water-based UV ink (ultraviolet curable ink using an aqueous medium) is used as the photo-curable ink, moisture contained in the water-based UV ink is evaporated in the upstream drying unit. After that, it is cured at the light irradiation section on the downstream side. For this reason, even in the ink fixing means provided with the drying processing section in addition to the light irradiation section, damage to the recording medium due to light is effectively suppressed or prevented in the light irradiation section, and the recovery time from the conveyance failure is shortened. Is done.

  The image recording apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention is the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein conveyance failure has occurred in the ink fixing means at the entrance and exit of the light irradiation unit in the conveyance means. And detecting means for detecting whether or not and outputting the detection result to the control means.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the eighth embodiment, a detecting means is provided. The detection means detects whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred at the entrance and exit of the light irradiation unit in the conveyance means, and outputs the detection result to the control means. For this reason, since it is possible to reliably detect whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred in the light irradiation unit, damage to the recording medium due to light is effectively suppressed or prevented.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the seventh embodiment, a conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit at the entrance of the drying processing unit, the entrance and exit of the light irradiation unit in the conveyance unit. And detecting means for detecting whether or not the detection result is output to the control means.

  In the image recording apparatus according to the ninth embodiment, a detecting means is provided. This detection means detects whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred at the entrance of the drying processing section, the entrance and exit of the light irradiation section, and outputs the detection result to the control means. For this reason, since it is possible to reliably detect whether a conveyance failure has occurred in either the drying processing unit or the light irradiation unit, in the ink fixing unit, the warm air from the drying processing unit and the light from the light irradiation unit Damage to the recording medium is effectively suppressed or prevented. That is, in the image recording apparatus according to the ninth embodiment, damage to the recording medium due to heat can be effectively suppressed or prevented.

An image recording method according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention includes a step of transporting a recording medium in a transport path, a step of recording an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto a recording medium transported to the transport path, and a recording Irradiating light to the photocurable ink discharged onto the medium, curing the photocurable ink and drying, and stopping the conveyance of the recording medium when a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink And a step of stopping light irradiation and a step of stopping conveyance of the recording medium and blocking the light irradiation when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink. Yes.

In the image recording method according to the tenth embodiment, the photocurable ink is ejected onto the recording medium conveyed in the conveyance path to record an image. The photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium is cured by light irradiation and dried.
Here, when conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink, conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and light irradiation is stopped. For this reason, expansion of damage to the recording medium is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping conveyance of the recording medium, and damage to the recording medium due to light irradiation is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping light irradiation. In addition, when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink, conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and light irradiation is blocked. For this reason, the heating of the recording medium is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

An image recording method according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention includes a step of conveying a recording medium in a conveyance path, a step of recording an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto a recording medium conveyed to the conveyance path, and a recording Irradiating light to the photocurable ink discharged onto the medium, curing the photocurable ink and drying, and stopping the conveyance of the recording medium when a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink Along with the step of stopping the light irradiation, and when conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped, and the light irradiation amount is decreased and after a certain period of time, And a step of reducing the amount of light irradiation .

In the image recording method according to the eleventh embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the image recording method according to the tenth embodiment, the light irradiation amount is reduced when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink. After a certain amount of time has elapsed, the amount of light irradiation is further reduced. For this reason, heating more than necessary for light irradiation is effectively suppressed and prevented. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

An image recording method according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention includes a step of conveying a recording medium in a conveyance path, a step of recording an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto a recording medium conveyed in the conveyance path, and a recording Irradiating light to the photocurable ink discharged onto the medium, curing the photocurable ink and drying, and stopping the conveyance of the recording medium when a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink Along with the step of stopping the light irradiation, and when conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped, and the light irradiation amount is decreased and after a certain period of time, And stopping the light irradiation.
In the image forming method according to the twelfth embodiment, in addition to the action obtained by the image recording method according to the tenth embodiment, the light irradiation amount is reduced when a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink. Thus, the amount of light irradiation is further reduced after a certain period of time. For this reason, the heating more than necessary by light irradiation is effectively suppressed and prevented. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.
Furthermore, an image recording method according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention includes a step of conveying a recording medium in a conveyance path, and a step of recording an image by ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed in the conveyance path. Irradiating the photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium with light, curing the photocurable ink and drying, and transporting the recording medium when a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink. A step of stopping the light irradiation and whether or not there is a recording medium in the ink fixing means for fixing the photocurable ink when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink. When the recording medium is detected, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation is stopped. When the recording medium is not present, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation is performed. amount Comprises the steps of decreasing, the.
In the image recording method according to the thirteenth embodiment, in addition to the action obtained by the image recording method according to the tenth embodiment, a recording medium exists in the ink fixing unit when a conveyance failure occurs in a place other than the ink fixing unit. Is detected. For example, when the image recording apparatus sequentially records images on a plurality of recording media, there is a recording medium in which there is no conveyance failure in the ink fixing unit even if conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing unit. There is. For this reason, when the presence of the recording medium is detected, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying unit is stopped, and the light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped. Further, when the presence of the recording medium is not detected, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation amount is reduced. Therefore, in the image recording method, even when images are continuously recorded on a plurality of recording media, the same effects as those obtained by the image recording apparatus according to the tenth embodiment can be obtained.

  The image recording apparatus and the image recording method according to the embodiments of the present invention can effectively suppress or prevent damage to the recording medium due to conveyance failure, and can reduce the return time from conveyance failure. It has the effect.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the principal part of the ink fixing means of the image recording apparatus shown by FIG. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation at the time of conveyance failure of the image recording apparatus shown in FIGS.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an image recording apparatus and an image recording method in which an ultraviolet curable ink is used as a photocurable ink will be described. In the drawings, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted as appropriate.

(Overall configuration of image recording device)
As shown in FIG. 1, an image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment uses a water-based UV ink (an ultraviolet curable ink using an aqueous medium) as a photocurable ink on a sheet recording medium (paper) P. ) Is used to record an image by an ink jet method. The image recording apparatus 10 includes a paper feeding unit 12 that feeds the recording medium P, a transport unit that transports the recording medium P, a processing liquid applying unit 14, a processing liquid drying processing unit 16, and an ink ejection unit. The image recording unit 18, an ink fixing processing unit 20 as an ink fixing unit including a drying processing unit 21 and a light irradiation unit 22, a control unit that controls the entire system, and a paper discharging unit 24 that discharges the recording medium P. And as a main part.

1. Configuration of Paper Feed Unit The paper feed unit 12 is configured to feed the recording media P loaded on the paper feed tray 30 to the processing liquid application unit 14 one by one. The sheet feeding unit 12 as an example of a sheet feeding unit mainly includes a sheet feeding table 30, a soccer device 32, a sheet feeding roller pair 34, a feeder board 36, a front pad 38, and a sheet feeding drum 40. Has been.

  The recording medium P is placed on the paper feed table 30 in a bundle state in which a large number of sheets are stacked. The sheet feed table 30 is provided so as to be lifted and lowered by a sheet feed table lifting device (not shown). In the paper feed table elevating device, the drive is controlled in conjunction with the increase / decrease of the recording media P stacked on the paper feed platform 30, and the recording medium P positioned at the top of the bundle is always positioned at a constant height. As described above, the sheet feeding table 30 is configured to move up and down.

  Although not particularly limited, general-purpose printing paper used in general offset printing or the like (so-called high-quality paper, coated paper, paper such as art paper, mainly made of cellulose) is used as the recording medium P.

  In the soccer device 32, the recording media P loaded on the paper feed table 30 are picked up one by one from the top and fed to the paper feed roller pair 34. The soccer device 32 includes a suction foot 32A provided so as to be movable up and down and swingable. The upper surface of the recording medium P is sucked and held by the suction foot 32A, and the recording medium P is transferred from the paper feed table 30 to the paper feed roller pair 34. At this time, the suction foot 32A sucks and holds the top surface of the recording medium P positioned at the top of the bundle to pull up the recording medium P, and the leading end of the recording medium P that is pulled up constitutes a paper feed roller pair 34. It is set as the structure inserted between a pair of roller 34A and roller 34B.

  The pair of paper feed rollers 34 includes a pair of upper and lower rollers 34A and 34B that are pressed against each other. One of the pair of upper and lower rollers 34A and 34B is a driving roller (for example, roller 34A) and the other is a driven roller (for example, roller 34B). The drive roller is connected to a motor (not shown) and is driven to rotate by the rotation of the motor. The motor is driven in conjunction with the feeding of the recording medium P. When the recording medium P is fed from the soccer device 32, the driving roller is rotated in accordance with the timing. The recording medium P inserted between the pair of upper and lower rollers 34 </ b> A and 34 </ b> B is nipped by the rollers 34 </ b> A and 34 </ b> B and sent out in the direction in which the feeder board 36 is installed.

  The feeder board 36 is formed to correspond to the recording medium width, and is configured to guide the recording medium P sent out from the paper feed roller pair 34 to the front pad 38. The feeder board 36 is installed to be inclined downward, and the recording medium P placed on the conveying surface of the conveying path of the feeder board 36 is slid along the conveying surface and guided to the front pad 38. .

  On the feeder board 36, a plurality of tape feeders 36A, which transport the recording medium P and have the transport direction as a longitudinal direction, are provided at intervals in the width direction. The tape feeder 36A is formed in an endless shape and is configured to rotate using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The recording medium P placed on the conveyance surface of the feeder board 36 is conveyed on the feeder board 36 by the tape feeder 36A.

  A retainer 36B and a roller 36C are installed on the feeder board 36. A plurality of retainers 36 </ b> B are arranged in the longitudinal direction along the conveyance surface of the recording medium P (two in the present embodiment). The retainer 36B is configured by a leaf spring having a width corresponding to the width of the recording medium, and is pressed against and brought into contact with the conveyance surface. In the recording medium P conveyed on the feeder board 36 by the tape feeder 36A, the unevenness is corrected by passing through the retainer 36B. The roller 36C is disposed between an upstream retainer 36B and a downstream retainer 36B disposed in the transport direction. The roller 36 </ b> C is pressed against the conveying surface of the recording medium P. The recording medium P conveyed between the retainers 36B is conveyed while the upper surface is pressed by the rollers 36C.

  The front pad 38 is configured to correct the posture of the recording medium P. The front pad 38 is formed in a plate shape, and a plate-like surface is disposed orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium P. Further, the front pad 38 is connected to a motor (not shown), and is driven to swing by the motor. When the leading edge of the recording medium P conveyed on the feeder board 36 comes into contact with the front pad 38, the conveying posture of the recording medium P is corrected (so-called skew prevention is performed). The front pad 38 is swung in conjunction with the feeding of the recording medium P to the paper feeding drum 40, and the recording medium P whose transport posture is corrected is delivered to the paper feeding drum 40.

  The paper feed drum 40 receives the recording medium P fed from the feeder board 36 via the front pad 38 and conveys it to the processing liquid application unit 14. The paper feed drum 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is connected to a motor (not shown), and is configured to rotate by driving from this motor. A gripper 40A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the paper supply drum 40, and the leading end of the recording medium P is gripped by the gripper 40A. The paper feed drum 40 conveys the recording medium P to the treatment liquid application unit 14 while winding the recording medium P on the peripheral surface by gripping and rotating the tip of the recording medium P with the gripper 40A.

2. Configuration of Processing Liquid Applying Unit The processing liquid applying unit 14 applies a predetermined processing liquid to the surface (image recording surface) of the recording medium P. The treatment liquid application unit 14 mainly applies a treatment liquid application drum 42 that conveys the recording medium P, and a treatment liquid application that applies a predetermined treatment liquid to the image recording surface of the recording medium P that is conveyed by the treatment liquid application drum 42. And a unit 44. The treatment liquid applied to the surface of the recording medium P aggregates the color material (pigment) in the photocurable ink that is ejected (dropped) onto the recording medium P by the image recording unit 18 disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction. It is the flocculant which has the function to make. By applying such a treatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium P and discharging photocurable ink, even when using general-purpose printing paper, high-quality images can be obtained without causing landing interference or the like. Recording (printing) is possible.

  The treatment liquid application drum 42 conveys the recording medium P conveyed from the paper supply drum 40 of the paper supply unit 12 to the treatment liquid drying processing unit 16. The treatment liquid application drum 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is connected to a motor (not shown), and is configured to be driven by the rotation of this motor. A gripper 42A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the treatment liquid application drum 42, and the leading end of the recording medium P is gripped by the gripper 42A. The treatment liquid application drum 42 conveys the recording medium P to the treatment liquid drying processing unit 16 while winding the recording medium P on the peripheral surface by gripping and rotating the tip of the recording medium P with the gripper 42A. . When the treatment liquid application drum 42 rotates once, one recording medium P is conveyed. The processing liquid application drum 42 and the paper feed drum 40 are controlled in rotation by matching the timings of receiving and delivering the recording medium P with each other. That is, the treatment liquid application drum 42 and the paper feed drum 40 are driven with their peripheral speeds matched, and are driven with the positions of the grippers 40A and 42A matched.

  In the treatment liquid application unit 44, the treatment liquid is applied to the surface of the recording medium P conveyed by the treatment liquid application drum 42 with a roller. The processing liquid application unit 44 mainly pumps up the application roller 44A for applying the processing liquid to the recording medium P, the processing liquid tank 44B for storing the processing liquid, and the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid tank 44B, The pumping roller 44 </ b> C is supplied to the application roller 44 </ b> A.

  In this embodiment, the processing liquid is applied by a roller, but the method of applying the processing liquid is not limited to this. In addition to the treatment liquid, a method of applying using an inkjet head or a method of applying using a spray may be employed.

3. Configuration of Processing Liquid Drying Processing Unit In the processing liquid drying processing unit 16, the recording medium P having the processing liquid applied to the surface is dried. The processing liquid drying processing unit 16 mainly performs drying air on the image recording surface of the recording medium P transported by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 that transports the recording medium P, the paper transport guide 48, and the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. And a processing liquid drying processing unit 50 for spraying and drying.

  The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 is configured to receive the recording medium P from the processing liquid application drum 42 of the processing liquid application unit 14 and to transport the recording medium P to the image recording unit 18. The treatment liquid drying treatment drum 46 is constituted by a frame assembled in a cylindrical shape, is connected to a motor (not shown), and is driven by the rotation of this motor. A gripper 46A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46, and the leading end of the recording medium P is gripped by the gripper 46A. The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 conveys the recording medium P to the image recording unit 18 by gripping and rotating the tip of the recording medium P with the gripper 46A. Note that the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 in the present embodiment is configured such that grippers 42A are disposed at two locations on the outer peripheral surface, and the two recording media P are conveyed by one rotation. The rotation of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and the processing liquid applying drum 42 is controlled by matching the timings of receiving and transferring both recording media P. That is, the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and the processing liquid application drum 42 are driven with their peripheral speeds matched, and are driven with the positions of the grippers 42A and the grippers 46A of each other.

  The paper transport guide 48 is disposed around the outer periphery of the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 along the transport path of the recording medium P. The paper transport guide 48 guides the recording medium P so as not to be detached from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 (transport path).

  The processing liquid drying processing unit 50 is installed inside the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 and is configured to perform drying processing by blowing dry air toward the surface of the recording medium P conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. ing. Thereby, the solvent component in the processing liquid is removed, and an ink aggregation layer is formed on the surface of the recording medium P. In the present embodiment, two processing liquid drying processing units 50 are arranged in the processing liquid drying processing drum, and the drying air is directed toward the surface of the recording medium P conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46. It is configured to spray.

4). Configuration of Image Recording Unit The image recording unit 18 ejects droplets of photocurable ink of each color of M, K, Y, and C onto the image recording surface of the recording medium P, and sets the color on the image forming surface of the recording medium P. An image is recorded (printed or drawn). The image recording unit 18 mainly presses the image recording drum 52 that conveys the recording medium P and the recording medium P that is conveyed by the image recording drum 52 so that the recording medium P adheres to the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Recording medium pressing roller 54 to be recorded, inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y as an example of ejection heads that eject ink droplets of M, K, Y, and C colors onto recording medium P, and recording medium P. The in-line sensor 58 for reading the printed image, the mist filter 60 for capturing the ink mist, and the drum cooling unit 62. Note that, as described above, photocurable ink is used as the ink ejected from each of the inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y. After the ejection, the photocurable ink is cured and dried by irradiating light (here, ultraviolet rays) by an ink fixing unit described later.

  The image recording drum 52 is configured to receive the recording medium P from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 of the processing liquid drying processing unit 16 and to transport the recording medium P to the ink fixing processing unit 20. The image recording drum 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is connected to a motor (not shown), and is driven by the rotation of this motor. A gripper 52A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52, and the leading end of the recording medium P is gripped by the gripper 52A. The image recording drum 52 conveys the recording medium P to the ink fixing processing unit 20 while winding the recording medium P around the peripheral surface by gripping and rotating the tip of the recording medium P with the gripper 52A. In addition, a large number of suction holes (suction holes) (not shown) are provided in a predetermined pattern on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The recording medium P wound around the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 is sucked through the suction hole, so that it can be conveyed while being sucked and held on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Thereby, the recording medium P can be conveyed with high smoothness.

  Note that the suction from the suction hole is performed only within a certain range, and the recording medium P is sucked between a predetermined suction start position and a predetermined suction end position. The suction start position is set to the installation position of the recording medium pressing roller 54. The suction end position is set on the downstream side of the installation position of the inline sensor 58, and is set to a position where the recording medium P is delivered to the ink fixing processing unit 20, for example. That is, at least at the installation position (image recording position) of the inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y and the installation position (image reading position) of the inline sensor 58, the recording medium P is attracted and held on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Is set to Further, the adsorption method is not limited to the adsorption method using negative pressure, and may be an adsorption method using electrostatic adsorption.

  Further, the image recording drum 52 in the present embodiment is provided with grippers 52A at two locations on the outer peripheral surface, and can transport two recording media P by one rotation. The rotation of the image recording drum 52 and the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 is controlled by matching the timings of receiving and delivering both recording media P. That is, the image recording drum 52 and the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 are driven with the peripheral speeds matched, and are driven with the positions of the grippers 46A and the grippers 52A matched.

  The recording medium pressing roller 54 is disposed in the vicinity of the receiving position of the recording medium P of the image recording drum 52 (the position where the recording medium P is received from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46). The recording medium pressing roller 54 is constituted by, for example, a rubber roller, and is installed in press contact with the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The recording medium P transferred from the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 to the image recording drum 52 is nipped by passing through the recording medium pressing roller 54 and is brought into close contact with the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52.

  The four inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52 along the conveyance path of the recording medium P at a constant interval. Each of the inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y is configured by a line head corresponding to the recording medium width, and the nozzle surface is disposed to face the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. Each of the inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y discharges the photocurable ink droplets toward the image recording drum 52 from the nozzle row formed on the nozzle surface, thereby recording carried by the image recording drum 52. An image is recorded on the medium P.

  The in-line sensor 58 is installed on the downstream side of the rearmost inkjet head 56K in the conveyance direction of the recording medium P by the image recording drum 52, and the images recorded by the inkjet heads 56M, 56K, 56C, and 56Y. Is configured to read. The inline sensor 58 is constituted by a line scanner, for example.

  A contact prevention plate 59 installed in the vicinity of the inline sensor 58 is provided on the downstream side of the inline sensor 58. The contact prevention plate 59 can prevent the recording medium P from coming into contact with the in-line sensor 58 when the recording medium P is lifted or broken due to a conveyance failure or the like.

  The mist filter 60 is disposed between the rearmost inkjet head 56Y and the in-line sensor 58, and sucks air around the image recording drum 52 to capture the ink mist. By capturing the ink mist, the ink mist is prevented from entering the in-line sensor 58, and the occurrence of image reading defects and the like is effectively prevented.

  The drum cooling unit 62 is configured to cool the image recording drum 52 by blowing cool air onto the image recording drum 52. The drum cooling unit 62 is mainly composed of an air conditioner (not shown) and a duct 62 </ b> A that blows cool air supplied from the air conditioner onto the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52. The duct 62 </ b> A is configured to cool the image recording drum 52 by blowing cool air to the image recording drum 52 in an area other than the conveyance area of the recording medium P. In the present embodiment, since the recording medium P is conveyed along the arcuate outer peripheral surface of the upper half of the image recording drum 52, the duct 62 </ b> A is cooled in the region of the lower half of the image recording drum 52. Is applied to cool the image recording drum 52. Specifically, the air outlets (not shown) of the duct 62 </ b> A are arranged in an arc shape so as to cover substantially the lower half of the image recording drum 52.

5. Configuration of Ink Fixing Processing Unit The ink fixing processing unit 20 is configured to remove the liquid component remaining on the image recording surface of the recording medium P and to post-process the recording medium P after image recording. The ink fixing processing unit 20 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 that transports a recording medium P on which an image is recorded, a back tension applying mechanism 66 that applies back tension to the recording medium P transported by the chain gripper 64, and a chain gripper. 64, a drying processing unit 21 and a light irradiation unit 22 are provided as ink fixing means for fixing the recording medium P conveyed.

  The chain gripper 64 is a medium transport mechanism as a part of transport means used in common in the drying processing unit 21, the light irradiation unit 22, and the paper discharge unit 24, and the recording delivered from the image recording unit 18. The medium P is received and conveyed to the paper discharge unit 24.

  The chain gripper 64 mainly includes a first sprocket 64A installed close to the image recording drum 52 side, a second sprocket 64B installed on the paper discharge unit 24 side, and the first sprocket 64A and the second sprocket 64B. A chain 64C as an endless conveyance path wound around the chain, a plurality of chain guides (not shown) for guiding the travel of the chain 64C, and a plurality of grippers 64D attached to the chain 64C at a constant interval. It is configured. The first sprocket 64A, the second sprocket 64B, the chain 64C, and the chain guide are configured as a pair on both sides in the conveyance width direction of the recording medium P. The grippers 64D are provided on the pair of chains 64C, respectively. The first sprocket 64A is connected to a motor (not shown) and is driven by the rotation of this motor. The second sprocket 64B is dependently rotatable.

  The back tension applying mechanism 66 is configured to apply a back tension to the recording medium P that is conveyed while its tip is gripped by the chain gripper 64. The back tension applying mechanism 66 is not shown in detail, but mainly includes a guide plate 72 and a plurality of suction fans 72A as suction means for sucking air from a number of suction holes formed in the guide plate 72. It is equipped with. The lower surface of the guide plate 72 is provided with a number of holes for discharging the sucked air. In the recording medium P transported by the chain gripper 64, back tension is applied by being sucked by the suction fan 72A through the suction hole of the guide plate 72.

(1) Configuration of Drying Processing Unit The drying processing unit 21 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the chain gripper 64 and inside the chain gripper 64, and is arranged along the transport direction. It has. The drying processing unit 68 is configured to blow dry air (for example, hot air) on the image recording surface of the recording medium P. When the drying air is blown by the drying processing unit 68, the amount of water in the photocurable ink is reduced before the light (ultraviolet ray) is irradiated by the light irradiation unit 22. Thereby, the curability of the photocurable ink is secured by the subsequent light irradiation. In the present embodiment, eight drying processing units 68 are arranged. However, the number is not limited to this number, and the number of drying processing units 68 is appropriately selected according to the drying processing capacity. The

(2) Configuration of Light Irradiation Unit The light irradiation unit 22 is configured to fix an image by irradiating ultraviolet rays (UV) as light on an image recorded using photocurable ink in the present embodiment. ing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light irradiation unit 22 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 that conveys the recording medium P, a back tension applying mechanism 66 that applies a back tension to the recording medium P, and serves as a suction unit. And an irradiation unit 74 for irradiating the recording medium P with light.

  The irradiation unit 74 is provided downstream of the drying processing unit 21 in the conveyance direction of the chain gripper 64 and inside the chain gripper 64, and a plurality of irradiation units 74 are arranged along the conveyance direction. The irradiation unit 74 includes an ultraviolet lamp as a light source (not shown). Although eight irradiation processing units 74 are arranged in the present embodiment, the number is not limited to this number, and the number of irradiation processing units 74 is appropriately selected according to the curing processing capability. The back tension applying mechanism 66 mainly includes a guide plate 72 and a plurality of suction fans 72B as suction means for sucking air from a number of suction holes formed in the guide plate 72. The lower surface of the guide plate 72 is provided with a number of holes for discharging the sucked air. In the recording medium P conveyed by the chain gripper 64, back tension is applied by being sucked by the suction fan 72B through the suction hole of the guide plate 72. In the light irradiation unit 22, the height of the paper discharge unit 24 arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction is higher than that of the drying processing unit 21, so that the chain gripper 64, the guide plate 72, and the like are adjusted in order to adjust the transport position. These components are inclined upward from below.

6). Configuration of Paper Discharge Unit The paper discharge unit 24 is configured to collect the recording medium P that has undergone a series of image recording processes. The paper discharge unit 24 mainly includes a chain gripper 64 that transports the recording medium P on which the photocurable ink is fixed by light irradiation, and a paper discharge tray 76 that stacks and collects the recording medium P. . Although not shown, the paper discharge tray 76 is provided with a sheet pad (front sheet pad, rear sheet pad, lateral sheet pad, etc.) for orderly stacking the recording media P. In addition, a discharge tray lifting device (not shown) is provided on the discharge tray 76 so that the recording medium P can be lifted. In the paper delivery platform lifting / lowering device, the elevation drive is controlled in conjunction with the increase / decrease of the recording media P collected on the paper delivery platform 76, so that the topmost recording media P is always positioned at a certain height. Has been adjusted to.

7). Here, as the photocurable ink in the present embodiment, for example, an aqueous ultraviolet ink that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays as light is used. The aqueous ultraviolet ink preferably contains a pigment, polymer particles, a water-soluble polymerizable compound that is polymerized by active energy rays, and a photopolymerization initiator. In such an aqueous ultraviolet ink, when cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the image has excellent abrasion resistance and the image has high film strength. Note that the coloring material may include a dye.

(System configuration of image recording device)
1. Basic System Configuration of Image Recording Device As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image recording device 10 includes a system controller 200, a communication unit 202, an image memory 206, a conveyance control unit 210, a paper feed control unit 212, and processing. At least the liquid application control unit 214, the treatment liquid drying control unit 216, the image recording control unit 218, the drying control unit 220, the light irradiation control unit 222, the paper discharge control unit 224, the shutter control unit 226, the operation unit 230, and the display unit 232 It is provided as a basic system configuration.

  The system controller 200 functions as a control unit that performs overall control of each unit of the image recording apparatus 10 and also functions as a calculation unit that executes various calculation processes. The system controller 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like. For this reason, the system controller 200 is operable according to a predetermined control program. The ROM stores a control program executed by the system controller 200 and various data necessary for control.

  The communication unit 202 includes a communication interface. The communication unit 202 executes data transmission / reception with the host computer 204 connected to the communication interface. The image memory 206 is configured to temporarily store various data including image data. In the image memory 206, image data is transmitted to and received from the host computer 204 via the system controller 200 and the communication unit 202.

  The conveyance control unit 210 controls the conveyance system 28 as a conveyance unit in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the transport system 28, the recording medium P is transported from the paper feed unit 12 to the paper discharge unit 24 without delay under the control of the transport control unit 210. Specifically, the tape feeder 36 </ b> A, the front pad 38, and the paper supply drum 40 in the paper supply unit 12 are driven by the control from the conveyance control unit 210, and the processing liquid application drum 42 in the processing liquid application unit 14 is processed. The processing liquid drying processing drum 46 in the liquid drying processing unit 16 and the image recording drum 52 in the image recording unit 18 are driven. Further, the conveyance control unit 210 controls driving of the chain gripper 64, the back tension applying mechanism 66, and the like shared by the drying processing unit 21, the light irradiation unit 22, and the paper discharge unit 24 of the ink fixing processing unit 20.

  The paper feed control unit 212 controls the paper feed unit 12 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. Specifically, the driving of the soccer device 32 and the paper feed table raising / lowering mechanism is controlled by the paper feed control unit 212, and the recording media P loaded on the paper feed platform 30 by these drives are sequentially sequentially one by one without overlapping. Paper is fed to the transport system 28.

  The processing liquid application control unit 214 controls the processing liquid application unit 14 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the processing liquid application unit 14, the processing liquid is applied to the recording medium P conveyed by the processing liquid application drum 42 of the processing liquid application unit 44 under the control of the processing liquid application control unit 214.

  The processing liquid drying control unit 216 controls the processing liquid drying processing unit 16 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the processing liquid drying processing unit 16, the recording medium P conveyed by the processing liquid drying processing drum 46 of the processing liquid drying processing unit 50 is dried by the control from the processing liquid drying control unit 216.

  The image recording control unit 218 controls the image recording unit 18 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the image recording unit 18, the drive of the inkjet heads 56 </ b> M, 56 </ b> K, 56 </ b> C, 56 </ b> Y is driven by the control from the image recording control unit 218, and an image is recorded on the recording medium P conveyed by the image recording drum 52. The image recording control unit 218 controls the operation of the inline sensor 58, and the inline sensor 58 reads an image recorded on the recording medium P.

  The drying control unit 220 controls the drying processing unit 20 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the drying processing unit 20, the drying processing unit 68 is driven under the control of the drying control unit 220, and hot air is blown to the recording medium P conveyed by the chain gripper 64.

  The light irradiation control unit 222 controls the light irradiation unit 22 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the light irradiation unit 22, the light irradiation unit 74 is driven by the control from the light irradiation control unit 222, and light (here, ultraviolet rays) is irradiated onto the image recording surface of the recording medium P.

  The paper discharge control unit 224 controls the paper discharge unit 24 in accordance with a command from the system controller 200. In the paper discharge unit 24, a paper discharge table lifting mechanism and the like are driven under the control of the paper discharge control unit 224, and the recording medium P is discharged onto the paper discharge table 76.

  The operation unit 230 includes operation means (not shown) such as operation buttons, a keyboard, and a touch panel. Operation information input from the operation means is output to the system controller 200. In the system controller 200, various processes necessary for image recording are executed in accordance with the operation information input from the operation unit 230.

  The display unit 232 includes a display device such as an LCD display device or a CRT display device. The display unit 232 displays various types of information necessary for recording various images such as the type of the recording medium P and the number of recorded images in accordance with instructions from the system controller 200.

  In the basic system configuration of the image recording apparatus 10, image data recorded on the recording medium P is stored in the image memory 206 from the host computer 204 via the communication unit 202. The image data stored in the image memory 204 is converted into print data, for example, dot data by the system controller 200. The image recording control unit 218 drives each inkjet head 56M, 56K, 56C, 56Y of the image recording unit 18 based on the converted print data. By driving the image recording unit 18, an image is recorded on the image recording surface of the recording medium P.

  Here, the dot data is generally generated by performing color conversion processing and halftone processing on image data. The color conversion process is a process of converting image data expressed in sRGB or the like (for example, RGB 8-bit image data) into ink amount data of each color of the photocurable ink used in the image recording apparatus 10. In the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since a color image can be recorded, image data of each color of C, M, Y, and K is converted into ink amount data by color conversion processing. The halftone process is a process for executing an error diffusion process or the like on the ink amount data of each color generated by the color conversion process.

2. System Configuration of Irradiation Shield Switching Unit As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image recording apparatus 10 further includes a shutter unit 26 as an irradiation shielding switching unit, and a shutter control unit 226 that controls the operation of the shutter unit 26. It has. As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter unit 26 is configured to be movable between the chain 64 </ b> C serving as a conveyance path and the light irradiation unit 74 in the light irradiation unit 22. That is, when the shutter unit 26 is moved between the chain 64C and the light irradiation unit 74, the light irradiated to the recording medium P from the light irradiation unit 74 is shielded. Conversely, when the shutter unit 26 is retracted from between the two, the light irradiation unit 74 emits light to the recording medium P, and the photocurable ink is cured and fixed.

  The shutter unit 26 is connected to a shutter control unit 226, and the shutter control unit 226 is connected to the system controller 200. That is, the shutter control unit 226 is controlled in accordance with a command from the system controller 200, and the light irradiation and light shielding operations of the shutter unit 26 can be switched in accordance with the command from the shutter control unit 226. In the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, it is confirmed that a conveyance failure such as a jam occurs in the recording medium P other than the ink fixing processing unit 20 and the recording medium P exists in the ink fixing processing unit 20. Then, the shutter unit 26 is configured to shield the light.

3. System Configuration of Irradiation Shield Switching Unit As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image recording apparatus 10 further includes a shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242 that detects whether or not light irradiation by the shutter unit 26 is in a shield state, and the shutter. A programmable controller 244 is provided as irradiation stopping means for controlling the light irradiation unit 22 based on the detection result of the open / close confirmation sensor 242. As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242 is disposed, for example, between the shutter unit 26 and the guide plate 72 in the light irradiation unit 22. The shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242 detects that light from the light irradiation unit 74 is not shielded by the shutter unit 26 and detects that the light is not shielded when light is not detected. Has been. That is, for example, a light receiving sensor is used as the shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242.

  The programmable controller 244 forcibly blocks light irradiation from the light irradiation unit 22 based on the detection result from the shutter opening / closing confirmation sensor 242 that there is no light shielding state. Specifically, the light irradiation of the light irradiation unit 22 is stopped. The programmable controller 244 is a control unit that operates independently of the operations of the system controller 200 and the shutter control unit 226. Therefore, even if a malfunction occurs in the system controller 200 and the shutter control unit 226 cannot control the shutter unit 26, the light irradiation of the light irradiation unit 22 can be reliably stopped by the programmable controller 244. ing.

4). Configuration of Detection Unit (1) Configuration of Various Covers and Detection Unit As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording apparatus 10 includes a casing 80 that houses most of the components from the supply unit 12 to the paper discharge unit 24. I have. The casing 80 is provided with various covers that allow access to each component for the purpose of maintenance such as inspection, repair, and maintenance. In the present embodiment, a precoat cover 82 that can be opened and closed is provided in an upper part of the treatment liquid application unit 14 in the housing 80. The housing 80 is provided with a jetting cover 84 that can be opened and closed at the top of the image recording unit 18. The casing 80 is provided with an upper lamp cover 86 and a side lamp cover 88 that can be opened and closed on the upper and side portions of the light irradiation unit 22, respectively.

  In the vicinity of the precoat cover 82, a precoat cover open / close confirmation sensor 258 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is disposed in the housing 80. The precoat cover open / close confirmation sensor 258 detects the open / close state of the precoat cover 82, and the detection result is output to the system controller 200. For example, an interlock switch is used for the precoat cover open / close confirmation sensor 258.

  Further, in the vicinity of the jetting cover 84, the housing 80 is provided with an image recording unit cover open / close confirmation sensor 256 shown in FIGS. The image recording unit cover open / close confirmation sensor 256 detects the open / close state of the jetting cover 84, and the detection result is output to the system controller 200. The image recording unit cover open / close confirmation sensor 256 is the same as the precoat cover open / close confirmation sensor 258.

  Further, in the vicinity of each of the upper lamp cover 86 and the side lamp cover 88, the light irradiation unit cover open / close confirmation sensor 260 shown in FIGS. The light irradiation unit cover open / close confirmation sensor 260 detects the open / closed state of the upper lamp cover 86 and the side lamp cover 88, and the detection result is output to the system controller 200.

(2) Configuration of Detection Unit of Image Recording Unit As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an image recording unit paper floating confirmation sensor 250 is located near the image recording drum 52 and the recording medium pressing roller 54 of the image recording unit 18. Is arranged. The image recording unit paper floating confirmation sensor 250 detects the floating state of the recording medium P on the peripheral surface of the image recording drum 52, and the detection result is output to the system controller 200.

  In addition, an image recording unit front sheet removal confirmation sensor 252 is disposed on the downstream side of the image recording unit 18 and in the vicinity of the first sprocket 64A at the front stage of the ink fixing processing unit 20. The image recording unit front sheet removal confirmation sensor 252 detects whether the recording medium P delivered from the image recording drum 52 has been received by the chain gripper 64 or has been removed without being received, and the detection result is sent to the system controller 200. Is output.

(3) Configuration of Detection Unit of Ink Fixing Processing Unit As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensor 272 is located at or near the entrance of the drying processing unit 21 in the ink fixing processing unit 20. It is arranged. The fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensor 272 detects whether or not the recording medium P is conveyed from the entrance of the drying processing unit 21 and whether or not the recording medium P exists in the vicinity of the entrance. 200 is output.

  Further, a fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensor 274 is disposed at or near the entrance of the light irradiation unit 22 (or at the exit of the drying processing unit 21 or in the vicinity thereof). The fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensor 274 records whether or not the recording medium P is conveyed from the entrance of the light irradiation unit 22, whether or not the recording medium P exists near the entrance, or records from the exit of the drying processing unit 21. It is detected whether or not the medium P has been transported and whether or not the recording medium P is present near the exit, and the detection result is output to the system controller 200.

  Further, a fixing processing section conveyance failure confirmation sensor 276 is disposed at or near the exit of the light irradiation section 22. The fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensor 276 detects whether or not the recording medium P is conveyed from the exit of the light irradiation unit 22 and whether or not the recording medium P exists near the exit, and the detection result is a system controller. 200 is output.

  That is, the conveyance processing state of the recording medium P in the drying processing unit 21 is detected by the fixing processing unit conveyance defect confirmation sensors 272 and 274, and whether the recording medium P is in the conveyance state or the conveyance defect state exists in this region. It is detected whether or not it exists. Similarly, the fixing processing unit conveyance defect confirmation sensors 274 and 276 detect the conveyance state of the recording medium P in the light irradiation unit 22, and whether the recording medium P is in the conveyance state or the conveyance defect state is in this region. Whether it exists or not is detected.

(Image recording method of image recording apparatus)
The image recording method of the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is as follows. In the image recording apparatus 10, when an image recording operation (printing operation) is started, as shown in FIG. 4, a detection flow for a conveyance failure is started (S10).

  First, based on detection results from various sensors such as the image recording unit paper floating confirmation sensor 250 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is determined whether or not a conveyance failure such as a jam has occurred in the recording medium P (S12). ). When no conveyance failure has occurred, detection results from various sensors are taken into consideration again.

  If a conveyance failure occurs, it is determined whether the conveyance failure is the light irradiation unit 22 of the ink fixing processing unit 20 based on the detection results of the fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 274 and 276 (S14). ). If it is determined that a conveyance failure has occurred in the light irradiation unit 22, the system controller 200 outputs a command to stop the conveyance system 28 via the conveyance control unit 210, and the conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped (S16). At the same timing or slightly before and after, the system controller 200 outputs a command to stop the light irradiation of the light irradiation unit 22 via the light irradiation control unit 222, and the light irradiation is stopped (S18). In the state where the conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped and the light irradiation is stopped, a recovery operation for removing the cause of the conveyance failure is performed.

  In the present embodiment, there is a heat source even when it is determined that a conveyance failure has occurred in the drying processing unit 21 of the ink fixing processing unit 20 based on the detection results of the fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 272 and 274. Therefore, the same process as the conveyance failure in the light irradiation unit 22 is executed. Moreover, in the light irradiation part 22, also when the open state of each of the upper lamp cover 86 and the side lamp cover 88 shown in FIG. 1 is detected by the light irradiation part cover open / close confirmation sensor 260, the safety is improved. In addition, the same processing as the conveyance failure in the light irradiation unit 22 is executed. Further, when the emergency stop button of the operation unit 230 shown in FIG. 3 is activated, the same processing is executed to improve safety.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the conveyance failure has been recovered (S20). The cause of the conveyance failure is removed, and the detection results of the fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 272 to 276 are reset. As a result, it is determined that the conveyance failure has been recovered, and the system controller 200 outputs a command to resume the conveyance system 28 via the conveyance control unit 210, and the conveyance of the recording medium P is resumed (S22). Further, at the same timing or slightly before and after, the system controller 200 outputs a command to restart the light irradiation of the light irradiation unit 22 via the light irradiation control unit 222, and the light irradiation is restarted (S24).

  Next, when the image of the recording medium P is recorded and the recording medium P is discharged to the paper discharge unit 24, it is determined whether the detection of the conveyance failure is completed or continued (S26). If it is determined that the detection of the conveyance failure is completed, the detection flow for the conveyance failure is completed (S28). If it is determined that the detection of the conveyance failure is not complete, the process returns to step S12 to determine whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that a conveyance failure has occurred other than the light irradiation unit 22 in step S14, except here the ink processing unit 20 including the drying processing unit 21, as described above, the recording medium is stored in the ink fixing processing unit 20. It is determined whether or not P exists (S30). The determination as to whether or not the recording medium P is present is made based on the detection results of the fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 272, 274, and 276. When it is determined that the recording medium P is present in the ink fixing processing unit 20, the above-described steps S16 and S18 and the subsequent processing are similarly executed.

  When it is determined that the recording medium P does not exist in the ink fixing processing unit 20, the system controller 200 outputs a command to stop the conveyance system 28 via the conveyance control unit 210, and conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped. (S32). At the same timing or slightly before and after, the system controller 200 outputs a command to decrease the light irradiation amount of the light irradiation unit 22 via the light irradiation control unit 222, and the light irradiation amount is decreased (S34). The amount of light irradiation is preferably reduced to, for example, 5% to 30% during normal operation. Further, at the same timing or slightly before and after, the system controller 200 outputs a command to move the shutter unit 26 via the shutter control unit 226, and the reduced dose of light is shielded by the shutter unit 26 (S36). .

  Although the processing flow is omitted in FIG. 4, it is detected by the shutter opening / closing confirmation sensor 242 shown in FIG. 3 whether or not the light irradiation is blocked by the shutter unit 26 (whether or not it is in the closed state). The This detection result is output to the programmable controller 244 that operates independently of the system controller 244. If a detection result indicating that the shutter unit 26 is not in the light irradiation shielding state is output from the shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242, the programmable controller 244 stops the light irradiation from the light irradiation unit 22. In the state where the conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped and the amount of light irradiation is reduced, a recovery operation for removing the cause of the conveyance failure is performed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the case where a conveyance failure occurs outside the ink fixing processing unit 20 means that the image recording unit paper floating confirmation sensor 250, the image recording unit front sheet removal confirmation sensor 252, the image recording unit cover open / close confirmation. This corresponds to the case where a conveyance failure occurs based on the detection result of at least one of the sensor 256 and the precoat cover open / close confirmation sensor 258.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the conveyance failure has been recovered (S38). The cause of the conveyance failure is removed, and the detection result of the image recording unit paper floating confirmation sensor 250 and the like is reset. As a result, when it is determined that the conveyance failure has been recovered, Steps S22 and S24 and the subsequent processing are similarly executed.

  If the conveyance failure is not recovered in step S38, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed (S40). If the time required for recovery of an average conveyance failure is 1 minute to 10 minutes, for example, the process of step S38 is repeatedly executed until this time elapses. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the light irradiation amount from the light irradiation unit 22 is further reduced, or the light irradiation is stopped (S42). Thereafter, it is determined again whether the conveyance failure has been recovered (S44). When the conveyance failure is recovered, step S22 and step S24 and subsequent processing are executed. If the conveyance failure is not recovered, the process returns to step S42.

(Operation and effect of the present embodiment)
In the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the recording medium P is conveyed by the conveying unit, and the photocurable ink is ejected onto the recording medium P by the ink ejecting unit to record an image. The recording medium P is conveyed to an ink fixing processing unit 20 as an ink fixing unit, and the photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium P is cured by light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 22 and dried.

  Here, the image recording apparatus 10 is provided with a system controller 200 and a light irradiation control unit 222 as control units, and the light irradiation unit 22 of the ink fixing processing unit 20 is controlled by the control unit. In the control unit, when a conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing processing unit 20, the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation by the light irradiation unit 22 is stopped. For this reason, the expansion of the damage due to the interference with the conveying means of the recording medium P is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium P, and the thermal damage of the recording medium P due to the light irradiation due to the stop of the light irradiation. Is effectively suppressed or prevented. Further, in the control unit, when a conveyance failure occurs outside the ink fixing processing unit 20, the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveyance unit is stopped and the light irradiation amount of the light irradiation unit 22 is reduced. For this reason, the expansion of the damage to the recording medium P is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium P, and the irradiation amount is only reduced without stopping the light irradiation in the light irradiation unit 22. The time until the light irradiation amount at the operating level after returning from the conveyance failure is restored is shortened.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a shutter unit 26 and a shutter control unit 226 are provided as irradiation shielding switching means. This irradiation shielding switching means shields light irradiation from the light irradiation unit 22 when a conveyance failure occurs outside the ink fixing processing unit 20. Here, although the light irradiation amount is reduced in the light irradiation unit 22, the irradiation of light is further shielded by the shutter unit 26, so that unnecessary heating of the light irradiation unit 22 is effectively suppressed and prevented. Is done. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

  Further, the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242 and a programmable controller 244 as irradiation stopping means. The shutter open / close confirmation sensor 242 detects whether or not the shutter unit 26 is in the light shielding state. When it is detected that the shutter is not in the shielding state, the programmable controller 244 stops the light irradiation from the light irradiation unit 22. For this reason, even if a problem occurs in the shutter unit 26 and the shutter control unit 226 and the light irradiation is not shielded, the light irradiation from the light irradiation unit 22 is stopped. The above heating is effectively suppressed and prevented. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when a conveyance failure occurs other than in the ink fixing processing unit 20, the light irradiation amount is reduced by the system controller 200 and the light irradiation control unit 222 as control means. Then, after a certain period of time, the amount of light irradiation is further reduced. For this reason, the heating more than the necessity of the light irradiation part 22 is suppressed or prevented effectively. In addition, the return time from the conveyance failure is shortened.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when a conveyance failure occurs other than in the ink fixing processing unit 20, the light irradiation amount is reduced by the system controller 200 and the light irradiation control unit 222 as control means. Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed, the light irradiation is stopped. For this reason, the heating more than the necessity of the light irradiation part 22 is suppressed or prevented effectively.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a back tension applying mechanism 66 including an adsorption fan 72B as an adsorption unit is provided. The adsorption unit adsorbs the recording medium P conveyed on the conveyance path (here, the chain 64C) of the conveyance unit in the light irradiation unit 22 to the conveyance path. For this reason, the recording medium P hardly floats or bends in the conveyance path, and the separation distance between the light irradiation unit 22 and the recording medium P is ensured. Is effectively suppressed or prevented.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the ink fixing processing unit 20 includes a drying processing unit 21 and a light irradiation unit 22. The drying processing unit 21 is provided on the upstream side of the conveying unit, and the light irradiation unit 22 is provided on the downstream side of the conveying unit. In the present embodiment, a water-based UV ink is used as the photocurable ink, and after the moisture contained in the water-based UV ink is evaporated in the upstream drying processing unit 21, the light irradiation on the downstream side is performed. It is cured at the part 22. For this reason, even in the ink fixing processing unit 20 provided with the drying processing unit 21 in addition to the light irradiation unit 22, damage to the recording medium P due to light in the light irradiation unit 22 is effectively suppressed or prevented, and conveyance failure The return time from is reduced.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 274 and 276 are provided as detection means. The fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 274 and 276 detect whether or not conveyance failure has occurred at the entrance and exit of the light irradiation unit 22 in the conveyance unit, and output the detection result to the system controller 200 as the control unit. . For this reason, since it is possible to reliably detect whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred in the light irradiation unit 22, damage to the recording medium P due to light is effectively suppressed or prevented.

  Further, the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 272, 274, and 276 as detection means. The fixing processing unit conveyance failure confirmation sensors 272, 274, and 276 detect whether or not conveyance failure has occurred at the entrance of the drying processing unit 21, the entrance and exit of the light irradiation unit 22, and use the detection results as control means. Output to the system controller 200. For this reason, since it is possible to reliably detect whether or not conveyance failure has occurred in either the drying processing unit 21 or the light irradiation unit 22, the ink fixing processing unit 20 performs the warm air and light irradiation from the drying processing unit 21. Damage to the recording medium P due to light (heat) from the portion 22 is effectively suppressed or prevented. That is, in the image recording apparatus 10, damage to the recording medium P due to heat can be effectively suppressed or prevented.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the recording medium P is present in the ink fixing processing unit 20 when a conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing processing unit 20 is determined by the fixing processing unit conveyance. It is detected by the system controller 200 as control means via at least one of the defect confirmation sensors 272, 274, 276. For example, when the image recording apparatus 10 sequentially records images on a plurality of recording media P, even if a conveyance failure occurs outside the ink fixing processing unit 20, no conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing processing unit 20. There may be a recording medium P. Therefore, in the system controller 200, when the presence of the recording medium P is detected, the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveying unit is stopped and the light irradiation by the light irradiation unit 22 is stopped. Further, in the system controller 200, when the presence of the recording medium P is not detected, the conveyance of the recording medium P by the conveying unit is stopped and the light irradiation amount in the light irradiation unit 22 is reduced. Therefore, in the image recording apparatus 10, even when images are continuously recorded on a plurality of recording media P, the same operational effects as those obtained by the image recording apparatus 10 can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the image recording method according to the present embodiment, an image is recorded by ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium P transported in the transport path. The photocurable ink discharged onto the recording medium P is cured by light irradiation and dried.

  Here, when conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink, conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped and light irradiation is stopped. For this reason, the expansion of damage to the recording medium P is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium P, and the damage to the recording medium P due to light irradiation is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the light irradiation. . In addition, when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium P is stopped and the light irradiation amount is reduced. For this reason, the expansion of damage to the recording medium P is effectively suppressed or prevented by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium P, and the light irradiation amount is only reduced. Time to return to quantity is shortened.

  As described above, according to the image recording apparatus 10 and the image recording method according to the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively suppress or prevent damage to the recording medium P due to conveyance failure and to recover from conveyance failure. The effect that time can be shortened is acquired.

(Other examples)
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from a summary, it can change variously. For example, in the image recording apparatus according to the above embodiment, the ink fixing processing unit as the ink fixing unit is configured by the drying processing unit and the light irradiation unit, but may be configured by only the light irradiation unit. Further, the present invention is applicable to an image recording apparatus using an electron beam curable ink.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image recording apparatus 12 Paper supply part 18 Image recording part 20 Ink fixing process part (ink fixing means)
21 Drying processing unit 22 Light irradiation unit 24 Paper discharge unit 26 Shutter unit (irradiation shielding switching means)
28 Transport system (transport means)
200 System controller (control means)
210 Transport control unit 218 Image recording control unit 220 Drying control unit 222 Light irradiation control unit 226 Shutter control unit (irradiation shielding switching means)
242 Shutter open / close confirmation sensor (irradiation stop means)
244 Programmable controller (irradiation stop means)
272, 274, 276 Fixing processing section conveyance failure confirmation sensor

Claims (13)

Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An ink ejection means for ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means to record an image;
An ink fixing unit that includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the photocurable ink ejected onto the recording medium to cure the photocurable ink, and fixes the photocurable ink;
Irradiation shielding switching means capable of switching between irradiation and shielding of light from the light irradiation unit;
When conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped, and conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing unit. A control unit that stops the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit and shields the irradiation of light from the light irradiation unit by the irradiation shielding switching unit ;
An image recording apparatus comprising: If the transport failure occurs in other than the ink fixing means, to detect whether the blocking state of light by the irradiation shielding switching means, when it is detected not in blocking state, irradiation of light from the light irradiation unit The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an irradiation stopping unit that stops the operation . Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An ink ejection means for ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means to record an image;
An ink fixing unit that includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the photocurable ink ejected onto the recording medium to cure the photocurable ink, and fixes the photocurable ink;
When conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped, and conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing unit. Control means for stopping the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance means, and reducing the light irradiation amount from the light irradiation unit to reduce the light irradiation amount after a predetermined time has elapsed,
An image recording apparatus comprising: Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An ink ejection means for ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means to record an image;
An ink fixing unit that includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the photocurable ink ejected onto the recording medium to cure the photocurable ink, and fixes the photocurable ink;
When conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped and light irradiation in the light irradiation unit is stopped, and conveyance failure occurs in other than the ink fixing unit. Control means for stopping the light irradiation from the light irradiating unit and stopping the light irradiation after a lapse of a fixed time after stopping the transport of the recording medium by the transport means,
An image recording apparatus comprising: Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An ink ejection means for ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means to record an image;
An ink fixing unit that includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the photocurable ink ejected onto the recording medium to cure the photocurable ink, and fixes the photocurable ink;
Control means,
The control means includes
When conveyance failure occurs in the ink fixing unit, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped, and light irradiation at the light irradiation unit is stopped,
When a conveyance failure occurs in a place other than the ink fixing unit, it is detected whether the recording medium is present in the ink fixing unit, and when the recording medium is present, the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying unit. And stopping the light irradiation at the light irradiation unit, and when the recording medium does not exist, the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying unit is stopped and the light irradiation amount at the light irradiation unit is reduced. Decreasing image recording device.   6. The image according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is transported in a transport path of the transport unit in the light irradiation unit, and includes an adsorbing unit that adsorbs the recording medium in the transport path. Recording device.   The said ink fixing means is provided with the drying process part provided in the upstream of the said conveyance means, and the said light irradiation part provided in the downstream, The any one of Claims 1-6. Image recording device. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a detection unit configured to detect whether or not a conveyance failure has occurred in the ink fixing unit at an entrance and an exit of the light irradiation unit in the conveyance unit, and to output the detection result to the control unit. 8. The image recording apparatus according to any one of items 7.   Detecting means for detecting whether or not conveyance failure has occurred in the ink fixing means at the entrance of the drying processing section, the entrance and exit of the light irradiation section in the transport means, and outputting the detection result to the control means. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7. Transporting the recording medium in the transport path;
Ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium transported to the transport path to record an image;
Irradiating the photocurable ink ejected on the recording medium with light, curing the photocurable ink, and drying the photocurable ink;
When a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation is stopped; and
A step of stopping the conveyance of the recording medium and shielding the light irradiation when a conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink; and
An image recording method comprising: Transporting the recording medium in the transport path;
Ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium transported to the transport path to record an image;
Irradiating the photocurable ink ejected on the recording medium with light, curing the photocurable ink, and drying the photocurable ink;
When the conveyance error occurs during the drying of the light-curable ink, to stop the conveyance of the recording medium, and stopping the irradiation of the light,
When conveyance failure occurs other than during the drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped, and the light irradiation amount is decreased, and after a certain time has elapsed, the light irradiation amount is further decreased. And steps to
An image recording method comprising: Transporting the recording medium in the transport path;
Ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium transported to the transport path to record an image;
Irradiating the photocurable ink ejected on the recording medium with light, curing the photocurable ink, and drying the photocurable ink;
When a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation is stopped; and
A step of stopping the conveyance of the recording medium when the conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink, and decreasing the amount of light irradiation and stopping the light irradiation after a lapse of a predetermined time. When,
An image recording method comprising: Transporting the recording medium in the transport path;
Ejecting photocurable ink onto the recording medium transported to the transport path to record an image;
Irradiating the photocurable ink ejected on the recording medium with light, curing the photocurable ink, and drying the photocurable ink;
When a conveyance failure occurs during drying of the photocurable ink, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation is stopped; and
When conveyance failure occurs other than at the time of drying the photocurable ink, it is detected whether or not the recording medium is present in an ink fixing unit that fixes the photocurable ink, and the recording medium is present In addition, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped, the irradiation of the light is stopped, and when the recording medium is not present, the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped and the light irradiation amount of the light irradiation is reduced. Steps,
An image recording method comprising:

Images